BSB: Ducati V4 race prototype set for Brands demo laps

Ducati MotoGP test rider Michele Pirro will debut the Italian factory’s V4 race machine for the first time in a demonstration at this weekend’s Bennetts British Superbike finale at Brands Hatch.

The Italian Superbike champion will take to the track for a number of demonstration laps on a prototype version of Ducati’s 1000cc V4 before the machine, set to be called the V4 R, will be unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan next month.

The 1103cc road-going version of the bike hit dealers earlier this year, but with the move to four cylinders Ducati must produce a 1000cc version for Superbike racing.

For at least the past year, Pirro and a number of other Ducati test riders including Lorenzo Zanetti have been testing the V4-R prototype in Superbike trim ready for its race debut in 2019.

Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista will campaign the V4-R in the Superbike World Championship next year while Scott Redding and Josh Brookes will line-up on the long-awaited machine in BSB with the Be Wiser Ducati team.

Redding and Brookes will get their first taste of the V4 machine at an official Ducati test in November.

"I'm really happy to take part in this event at the last round of the championship at Brands Hatch. It’s an historical circuit and I have good memories here. I'm really pleased to meet the British fans and show them the bike that will start a new era for Ducati in Superbike.

“It's a motorbike that brings all the MotoGP experience within and I'm so happy to be a part of this project. At World Ducati Week I could already appreciate the capabilities of the road bike and I'm sure that the new Superbike will bring great satisfaction to the fans.”

Managing Director of Ducati UK, Tim Maccabee added: “We are really pleased to be able to feature this public outing of the V4 race prototype at Brands Hatch. It has been a special place for Ducati over the years, providing some great results and great memories in our racing history. It is an experience I am sure that British fans will enjoy this weekend and taster of things to come next year.”